Grant marks the largest corporate gift to date for YMCA’s $25 million capital campaign, with construction set to begin this spring
On the one-year anniversary of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, Bank of America has announced a $1 million grant to the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles to support the rebuilding of the Lowe Family YMCA, a longtime community hub serving the Palisades-Malibu area that was destroyed in the fires.
The grant marks the first and largest corporate contribution to date for the YMCA’s $25 million capital campaign, launched last summer to rebuild and expand its presence in the fire-impacted community. Construction on the new facilities is expected to begin this spring.
“As we mark the first anniversary of the devastating fires, we also celebrate the incredible progress of the YMCA’s efforts to rebuild its destroyed Via de la Paz site and a nearby campus,” said Raul Anaya, president of Bank of America for Greater Los Angeles. “The wildfires destroyed so much — thousands of homes, businesses, and communities — but they never destroyed LA’s spirit. As a longtime supporter of the YMCA, we’re proud to help bring this space back to life for so many residents and encourage other donors to help bring this important effort over the finish line.”
The Lowe Family YMCA has served children, families, and seniors in the Palisades and Malibu communities for more than 60 years. When the wildfires displaced thousands of residents and caused widespread trauma, the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles mobilized immediately, activating nearby centers and partner sites to provide emergency childcare, case management and trauma-informed care to thousands of affected individuals.
Those efforts continue today, YMCA leaders said, but long-term recovery depends on restoring a permanent YMCA presence in the area.
“We are deeply grateful to Bank of America for their generosity and for being our first corporate donor to this campaign,” said Victor Dominguez, president and CEO of the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles. “Our corporate partners are critical to engaging our full communities in the rebuilding process. As the Center for Community Well-Being with dozens of locations across the L.A. region, we activated on day one of the fires to support our communities. We will continue to help Palisades rebuild not just the buildings, but the community and connections that make it so special.”
The YMCA has committed to replacing the burned facility with two new resilient campuses — one on the original Via de la Paz site and another at the nearby Simon Meadow site. Together, the dual-campus model is designed to expand programming focused on youth development, mental health services, emergency preparedness and multigenerational engagement, officials said.
In recognition of Bank of America’s leadership gift, the new Community Room at the Palisades Via de la Paz club will be named in honor of the bank.
The $1 million grant is part of a broader recovery effort by Bank of America following the wildfires. Including this latest award, the bank’s philanthropic contributions for fire recovery total $4.5 million. In addition, Bank of America recently announced $10 million in zero-interest capital to three community development financial institutions to support ongoing business and housing needs, as well as a new Rebuild Solution to assist qualifying mortgage clients in rebuilding their homes.
The bank also plans to rebuild its destroyed financial centers in Pacific Palisades and Altadena and continues to provide recovery-related thought leadership and employee volunteerism to local nonprofit organizations.
For more information about Bank of America’s wildfire relief initiatives, visit LARebuild. Donations to support the Lowe Family YMCA capital campaign can be made at YMCALA Give.